Automatic control mechanism



Dec. 25,1928.

6 1,696,659 w., d. WARD AUTOMATIC comm. mmcrmuzsu Fil ed Sept. 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25,1928. v 1,696,659

W. C. WARD AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Sept. 12, 19 27 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 A TTORN Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. WARD, OF JAMESTOWNQNEW YORK, ASSIG'NOR TO THE BORDEN COM- PANY, 01 NEW YORK, N. ,Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM.

Application filed September 12, 1927. Serial No. 219,160.

The invention relates to an in'iprovement in mechanisms for controlling machines operating on articles normally fed or delivered in unbroken succession to the machines.

The object of the invention is to produce an improved mechanism arranged to stop the machine on the occurrence of a break or absence in the line of articles being fed to the machine and to restart the machine when the.

1 isa diagrammatic view showing the control mechanism connected with aseries of runways through which the articles to be oper-" ated upon are fed to the machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale ot a detector spring located in one of the runways,

and sho wing the position of the detector spring when .a break or absence occurs in the articles passing through the runway; Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2', but showingthe position of the detector spring when the-runway is again filled with articles; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through a part of the detector spring and its associated parts for closing an electric circuit controlled by the detector spring.

The control mechanism of the present invention is adapted for application to and use with a large number of diflerent kinds of machines for operating on articles in succession. For the purpose of illustrating the principle of the invention, the improved control mechanism is herein shown and described as connected with the runways through which pass the various can parts on theiruway' to a can forming machine. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, portions of the runways or chutes through which the" can parts are fedto the can forming machine are indicated at 5, 6 and 7. The body portions 8 of the cans are tedthrough-the runway 5, the bottoms 9 through the runway 6, and the can heads 10 through the runway 7 The runways 5, 6 and 7 are provided in their bottom walls of floors 11 with the detector springs 12, 13 and 14, respectively. Each spring is secured at its forward end in the top surface of the bottom wall 11 of its runway so that the rear end thereof is free to move upwardly, on the occurrence of a break or absence in the line of can parts passing through the runwa and thereby break an electric circuit, Which brings about the stoppage of -the machine.

tion that when the runway is filled with can parts, the rear end of the spring is depressed against the bottom of the runway, thereby. closing the electric circuit which results in the restarting of the machine. Inasmuch as a body portion 8 of a can to'be made corresponds to a bottom end 9 and a top end 10, it is necessary for the proper functionin of the machine that the three runways be ept full of can parts. The control mechanism is .so arranged that the machine is stopped whether one or more of the runways becomes exhausted of cairparts.

Each detector spring is located in a circuit which passes through the battery 15. When the runways are filled with can parts which depress the rear ends of the detector springs, the springs contact with an adjustable screw 22 (see Fig. 4;) which passes up through the bottom of each runway and is received at its upper end in a strip of insulating material 24 inserted'in the upper. surface of the bottom wall 11 of the runway. Each screw 22 is insulated from the wall 11 of it's runway by means of a bushing 25. and is connected with the bracket 26 secured to the under surface of the runway and insulated therefrom by the plate 27. The bracket 26 constitutes one terminal of the circuit through the detector spring, and the metal bottom wall of the runway constitutes the other terminal.

The circuit through the detector spring 12 is traced from the positive side of the battery 15 through the wire 16 and the wire 17 to the solenoid 18. From the solenoid 18 the circuit continues through the wire 19 to the bracket 26, and thence through the screw 22 and spring. 12 to the bottom wall of the runway and from thence the circuit continues through the wire 28 to the negative side of the battery. The circuit through the detector Each detector spring is of leaf form and of such light construc-' spring 13 and the battery 15 is traced through the wires 16 and 29 to the solenoid 30. From ,and thence through the wire 36 to the negative side of the battery.

When the three runways for the can parts are filled to the extent that the detector springs 12, 13 and 14 are held depressed against the upper ends of the screws 22, thereby closing the circuits through the springs, the solenoids 18, 30 and 34 are energized by the battery 15 to hold the pivoted contact arms 37 38 and 39 in raised position against the contact points 40, 41 and 42, as indicated by their dotted line position. When the contact arms are in this position, a circuit is made through the solenoid 44 and a generator 45 to actuate a clutch, generally indicated at 46, to start the machine. The circuit through the generator 45 and the solenoid 44 is traced from the positive side of the generator through the wire 47, the contact arm 37, the wire 48, the contact 1 arm 38,-.the wire-49, the contact arm 39, and wire 50 to the solenoid. From the solenoid 44 the circuit continues through the wire 51, the contact strip 52, the cross-piece or shoe 53,'the contact strip 54, the wire 55, the wire 56 and wire 57 to the negative side of the generator. 7

The contact strips 52 and 54 are mounted on a block 58 of insulating material located at the rear of the solenoid 44, and the crosspiece 53 is carried by the left hand end of the armature 59 passing through the solenoid 44. The strip's 52 and 54 are of less length than the movement of the armature 59 so that when the solenoid 44 has-been actuated by the closing of the various circuits due to filling the runways with can parts, and the armature has been thereby actuated to throw the movable part of the clutch 46 into engagement with the clutch part 60 mounted on the shaft 61 connected with the machine, the cross-piece 53 will pass beyond the ends of the contact strips 52 and 54 and thereby disconnect the circuit through the solenoid 44. This disconnection of the solenoid 44 from its circuit after it has been energized, prevents arcing between the contact arms 37, 38 and 39 and their contact points 40, 41 and 42, and at the same time saves current while the machine is in operation. Such is the momentum imparted to the armature 59 when the solenoid 44 is actuated by the closing of the various circuits that the armature 59 continues its movement toward the solenoid 44 even after the cross-piece 53 passes beyond the ends of the strips 52 and 54. The limit of movement of the armature 59 in the left hand direction under the action of the solenoid 44 is determined by aplate 63 secured to the armature and which engages with the front or right hand face of the solenoid 44. The plate 63 is connected with the movable section of the clutch 46 by means of a yoke 64 fulcrumed on the fixed piece 65 and pivotally connected with the plate 63 and with the clutch.

When there is an absence of can partsabove a detector spring 12, 13 or 14, thereby per Initting the spring to rise and disconnect the circuit through thesolenoid 18, 30 or 34, the contact arm 37 38 or 39 drops and establishes a circuit through the solenoid 66 to actuate and disengage the movable clutch member from the fixed clutch member 60. The circuit through the solenoid 66 is traced from the positive side of the generator 45 through the wire 47 and through Whichever contact arm 37, 38 or 39 that has dropped, to the wire 67 and thence through the wire 68 to the solenoid 66. If the arm 37 has dropped the current passes directly through the arm 37 to the wire 67 If, howevervthe arm 37 is in raised position, but the arm 38 has dro ped, the current passes through the arm 37, t ence through the wire 48 and the arm 38 to the wire 67. If both the arm 37 and the arm 38 are heldraised, whereas thesarm 39 .has

dropped, the current will pass through the arm 37 the wire 48, the arm 38 and the wire 49 to the arm 39 and thence to the wire 67 If the arms 37 and 38 have dropped, or the arms 37 and 39 have dropped, or if all three arms have dropped, the current passes directly from the arm 37 to the wire 67 From the solenoid 66 the circuit continues through the wire 69 to the contact strip '70 mounted on the block of insulating material 71 and thence through the cross-piece on shoe 72 (carried'by a right hand extension of the armature 59) to the contact piece 74. From the contact piece 74 the circuit continues through the wires 7 5, 56 and 57 to the negative side of the generator. Inasmuch as the armature 59 (which is common to both solenoid 44 and 66) was at the limit of its leftward movement with the plate 63 in contact with the right hand face of the solenoid 44 while the runways 5, 6 and 7 were filled with can parts, the cross-piece or shoe 72 bridged the contact strips and 74. Consequently, when one of the contact arms 37 38 or 39 dropped, due to the absence of can parts in its respective runway, a complete circuit was immediately made through the solenoid 66, whereby the armature 59 was drawn to the right, bringing the plate 63 up against the left hand face of the solenoid 66 and disengaging the movable member of the clutch from the fixed member to stop the machine. The travel of the solenoid 59 in the right hand direction carries the cross-piece or shoe 72 beyond the outer ends of the contact strips 70 and 74 to avoid arcing (as, described above) and unnecessary consumption of the current while the machine is stopped.

In order that the machine may be stopped at once on .the disconnection of the movable withthe brake shoe 78. The circuit through the solenoid 77 is made from the positive side of the generator 45 through the wire (57, the wire 84 to the contac-t'point 85 mounted on the plate 71, thence through the cross-piece 72 to the contact point 86 and thence through the wire 87 to the solenoid 77. From the solenoid 77 the circuit continues through the wires 88, 56 and 57 to the negative side of the generator. The oontactpoints 85 and 86 are so located that when the armature 59 is moved to the limit of its right hand movement, the cross-piece 72 spans them to complete the circuit through the solenoid 77. Thus the brake shoe 78 .is actuated immediately after the clutch members have been disengaged. The machine is therefore stopped almost instantaneously on the occurrence of an absence of can parts in one or more of the runways.

When the runways are entirely empty, or nearly so, and a fresh supply of can parts are fed into the runways the can parts (which are separated from each other by a considerable spacelonger than each detector spring) momentarily depress the detector springs which rise again after the can part has passed and before the next can part reaches them. This -action continues until the runways are filled with can parts up as far as the detector springs, thereby permanently depressing the springs. In order to prevent the contact arms 37, 38 and 39'from rising and closing the circuit through the solenoid 44 as each can part passes over a detector spring (and then releases it) until the runways are filled, I provide each contact arm 37, 38 and 39 with a dash pot 90 arranged to retard the upward action of its contact arm. The dash pots 90 are so adjust-ed" that the contact arms 37, 38 and 39 are prevented from rising far enough to engage the points 40, 41 and 42 until the detect-or springs 12, 13 and 14 are permanently depressed'by can parts. It will be readily understood without the dash pots 90 the contact arms would instantly rise under the action of their solenoids 18, 30, and 34 each time the detector springs were depressed by the passage of can parts thereover,- and that the solenoids 44 and 66 would be alternately energized to start came filled with can and stop the machine until the runways beparts as far as the detector springs.

Then the runways are again filled with can parts, thereby establishing closed circuits through the three detector springs 12, 13 and 14 and their corresponding solenoids 18, 30 and 34, the contact arms 37, 38 and 39 are swung into contact with the points 40, 41 and 42, thereby closing the circuit'through the solenoid 44 and resulting in the engagement of the movable clutch member with the fixed clutch member and the restarting of the machine. Before the movable member of the clutch is moved into engagement with the fixed member, the travel of the armature- 59 in left hand direction underthe action of the solenoid 44 causes the cross-piece 7 2 to be disengaged from the contact points 85, and 86, breaking the circuit through the solenoid 77 and resulting in the disengagement of the brake shoe 78 from the fly wheel 7 9, thereby permitting the machine to be restarted. The movement of the cross-piece 72 to the left causes it to span again the contact strips and 74, so that .when another absence of can parts occurs in one of the runways and a 'contact arm 37, 38 or 39 drops, a circuit will be established through the solenoid 66 to cause it to disengage the clutch parts and stop the machine.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new is 1. A control mechanismcomprising, in combination with a runway, a detector spring located in the runway, an electric circuit closed through the spring when the runway is filled with articles, a solenoid in the circuit,,a clutch, a solenoid for moving the clutch in one direction, a solenoid for moving the clutch in the opposite direction, an armature common to the second and third solenoids, connections between the armature and the clutch, a circuit through the second solenoid, a circuit through the third solenoid, a movable contact arm arranged to be actuated by the first solenoid for closing the circuit through the second solenoid when the runway is filled with articles and for closing the circuit through the third solenoid when articles are absent from the runway, a brake, a

spring located in the runway, an electric circuit closed through the spring when the runway is filled with articles, a solenoid in the circuit, a clutch, a solenoid having an arma 'ture for actuating the clutch, a circuit in which the clutch actuating solenoid is located, a movable contact arm arranged to be actuated by the first solenoid for making and breaking the circuit through the second solenoid according to whether the runway is filled with articles, a pair of contact strips, a shoe for bridging the contact strips carried by the armature of the second solenoid, said contact. strips lying parallel with v the axis of the solenoid and being shorter than the movement of the armature so that when the soleniod is energized the shoe is disconnected from the contact strips, and an electric circuit formed through the shoe and contact strips when the first solenoid is deenergized on the absence of articles from the runway.

3. A control mechanism comprising, in combination with a runway, a detector spring located in the runway, an electric circuit closed through the spring when the runway is filled with articles, a solenoid in the .circuit, a clutch, a solenoid having an armature for actuating the clutch, a contact arm arranged-to be actuated by the first solenoid according to whether the runway is filled with articles, a circuit throu h the second solenoid adapted to be closed by the contact arm, a brake, a solenoid for actuatingthe brake, a circuit through the brake solenoid, and means arranged to close the circuit through the brake solenoid after the circuit through the second solenoid has been closed.

4. A control mechanism comprising, in combination with a runway, means in the runway for determining whether the runway is filled with articles, a clutch, an armature connected with the clutch, a solenoid for moving the armature in one direction, a solenoid for moving the armature in the opposite direction, a circuit through the first solenoid, 'a circuit through the second solenoid, means for closing the circuit through the first solenoid when the runway is filled with articles and "for closing the circuit through the second solenoid when articles are absent from the runway, a brake, a solenoid for actuating the brake, a circuit in which the brake solenoid is located, and means arranged to close the circuit through the'brake solenoid after the second solenoid has been energized.

YVILLIAM C. l/VARD. 

